Loose-pin butt-hinge



Feb. 14, 1956 H. PARK LOOSE-PIN BUTT-HINGE 2 FIG. 4.

INVENTOR.

PARK

Filed Nov. 24, 1952 HARRY BY Arm/sw m United States Patent Hinge Mfg. Co., St. Louis, Mo., a corporation of Missourl 7 Application November 24, 1952, Serial No. 322,226

3 Claims. (Cl. 16-169) This invention relates in general to hinges and, more particularly, to certain new and useful improvements in loose-pin butt-hinges.

Loose-pin butt-hinges ordinarily comprise a pair of leaves with axially aligned knuckles having a removable pin extending through the knuckles and thereby connecting the two leaves or plates of the hinge. As such hinges work to and fro in actual operation, the pin has a tendency to work up or rise, thereby reducing the amount of surface area on the pin which is effectively engaged for journaling the leaves together. Furthermore, the amount of the pin shank which graduallybecomes exposed is unsightly and occasionallybecomes bent, rusted, or otherwise damaged because of such exposure. The average householder, upon seeing an exposed portion of the pin, will frequently endeavor to drive it back into place with a hammer or any other small tool conveniently at hand and may, in so doing, bend the pin or mar the adjacent surfaces of the woodwork, thereby doing more harm than good.

It is, therefore, the primary object of the present invention to provide a loose-pin butt-hinge incorporating means.

for preventing or overcoming the tendency of the hinge pin to rise as the hinge leaves swing to and fro during actual use.

It is another object of the present invention to provide a hinge of the type stated which is simple and economical in construction and operation and which will not rattle, vibrate, or become ineffective under ordinary conditions of use and wear.

With the above and other objects in view, my invention resides in the novel features of form, construction, arrangement, and combination of parts presently described and pointed out in the claims.

In the accompanying drawing- Figure 1 is a front elevational view, partly broken away and in section, of a hinge constructed in accordance with and embodying the present invention;

Figure 2 is a fragmentary transverse sectional view taken along line 22 of Figure 1;

Figure 3 is a fragmentary sectional view taken along line 3-3 of Figure 2;

Figure 4 is a front elevational view, partly broken away and in section, of a modified form of hinge constructed in accordance with and embodying the present invention;

Figure 5 is a fragmentary transverse sectional view taken along line 5-5 of Figure 4; and

Figure 6 is a fragmentary sectional view taken along line 6-6 of Figure 5.

Referring now in more detail and by reference characters to the drawing, which illustrates practical embodi ments of the present invention, A designates a loose-pin butt-hinge comprising companion-shaped leaves 1, 2 formed of sheet metal and respectively including sets of axially aligned tubular knuckles 3, 4, adapted to be interfitted and aligned in the usual and conventional manner and as best seen in Figure 1.

In fabricating the hinge leaves 1, 2, the metal is preferably stamped with a series of outwardly projecting flat cars which are thereupon formed or curled into tubular form to provide the knuckles 3, 4, and in the course of,

this curling process the metal in each of the knuckles tends to flow slightly so that the cylindrical walls of the knuckles 3, 4, are slightly thicker at midpoint, that is to say, the interior bore of each knuckle becomes gradually smaller in diametral size from the outer ends of the knuckle toward the interior midpoint, as indicated, for example, at b and b in Figure 3.

Provided for axial insertion through the aligned hinge knuckles 3, 4, is a hinge pin 5 having an ornamental head 6 and being of sufiicient length to extend from the upwardly presented face of the uppermost knuckle 4 to about. midway through the lowermost knuckle 4, allowing roomv Adjacent its upper end, the hinge pin 5 is milled out transversely in the provision of a flat-bottomed axially extending recess 9 having angularly inwardly kerfed terminal slots 10, 10', adapted for receiving the opposite ends of a bowed ribbon-steel leaf spring 11. The outside diametral size of the hinge pin 5 is approximately equal to the smallest internal diametral size of the knuckles 3, 4, that is to say, the diameter across the plane of the points b, b, respectively, and the curvature of a spring 11 is such that the combined diametral dimension of the hinge pin-5 and spring 11 across the region of greatest curvature of the spring 11 is somewhat greater than the largest internal diametral dimension of the hinge knuckles 3, 4. Furthermore, the recess 9 and the leaf spring 11 operatively mounted therein are positioned lengthwise along the hinge pin 5 so that, when the hinge pin 5 is fully seated in its desired operative position, the leaf spring 11 will be centered longitudinally within the outwardly bowed recess 0 formed between two meeting endwise aligned hinge knuckles 3, 4, and will thus apply resilient bias to oppose both upward and downward movement of the hinge pin 5. It will be understood in this connection that although, as shown, the leaf spring 11 is interposed between the uppermost pair of hinge knuckles 3, 4, it is also possible to locate the recess 9 in lower positions along the hinge pin 5, so that the leaf spring 11 would lie between other pairs of hinge knuckles 3, 4, when the hinge A is in assembled relation.

If desired, it is also possible to provide a modified form of hinge A consisting of a pair of hinge leaves 21, 22, identical in all respects to the previously described hinge leaves 1, 2, and having hinge knuckles 23, 24, which are identical with the previously described hinge knuckles 3, 4, and arranged for interfitting alignment substantially as shown in Figure 4.

Provided for insertion axially within the aligned hinge knuckles 23, 24, is a hinge pin 25 provided adjacent its upper end with a band of knurling 26, which is somewhat barrel-shaped in external surface contour and adapted to squeeze-fit within the recess 0' substantially in the same manner and for the same purpose as the previously described leaf spring 11. The knurling in the knurled band 26 in effect raises a multiplicity of upstanding minute prongs or protrusions out of the body of the metal forming the hinge pin 25, and these protrusions are of such a nature that they can be resiliently compressed slightly to pass the narrow portions of the internal bore of the hinge knuckles 23, 24, and will spring back to substantially fit the recess 0 and retain the hinge pin 26 in place against Patented Feb. 14, 1956 both upward and downward shifting movement, thereby preventing ?rise and compensating .for the tendency of the hinge pin 25 to loosen up and rattle or vibrate as the hinge begins to wear.

-It should be understood thatchanges and modifications in the form, construction, arrangement, and combination of the several parts of the loose=pin butt-hinge may be made and substituted for those herein shown and described without departing from the nature and principle of my invention.

Having thus described my invention, what 1 claim and desire to secureby Letters Patent is:

1-. A loose-pin butt-hinge comprising complementarily shaped leaves having a plurality of tubular knuckles arranged in endwise abutting co-axiai alignment, each of said knuckles having an internal bore which has an internal longitudinal shape conforming to the surface of revolution of a convex curve so that the interior of said bore is provided with convexly curved portions located inwardly from the end faces of said knuckles, a pin disposed in and extending axially through the bores of the aligned knuckles, said pin being provided for a portion of its length with an axially extending recess which is angularly k'erfed at its opposite ends, and a fiat ribbonlike spring leaf convexly curved and inserted within the recess 'with its ends "workably seated in the ker-fed portions thereof, said spring curving arcuately outwardly beyond the recess and being located lengthwise of the pin'in such position as to 'bear simultaneously against the adjacent convexly curved portions o'f'two contiguous knuckles.

2. A loose-pin butt-hinge comprising complementarily shaped leaves having a plurality of tubular knuckles arranged :in endwise abutting co-axial alignment, each of said knuckles having an internal bore which -is-s1naller in diametralsize midway between its ends and is of gradually increasing diametral size outwardly in opposite directions from'such mid portion toward its outer ends in the provision of a convex'ly curved surface forming the inner face shaped leaves .having a plurality of tubular knuckles ar' ranged in endwise abutting co-axial alignment, each of said knuckles having an internal bore which has .an intern-a1 longitudinal shape conforming to the surface of revolution of a convex curve so that the interior of said bore is provided with convexly curved portions located inwardly from the end faces of said knuckles, a pin disposed in and extending axially through the bores of the aligned knuckles, said pin being provided for a portion of its length with an axially extending recess which is angularly'kerfed at its opposite ends and has a flat chord- Wise extending bottom face located therebetween, and a flat ribbon-like spring leaf convexl-y curved and inserted within the recess with its ends workably'seated inthe kerfed portions thereof, said spring curving 'arcuate'ly outwardly beyond the recess and being located lengthwise of the pin in such position as to bear simultaneously against the adjacent convexly curved portions of two contiguous knuckles.

References Cited in the file of this patent I UNITED STATES PATENTS 112,417 Carleton Mar. Z, 1871 584,642 Lentz June 15, 18.97

2,053,864 Cook et al. Sept..8, 1936 2,154,860 Morse 0---- Apr. 18 51989 FOREIGN PATENTS 517,4.83 Germany Feb. 5, .1931 

